Julie Soto is a must buy author for me. I was absolutely thrilled to receive this ARC for her debut YA thriller.

She absolutely nailed this. What a fun, fast read that kept me entertained from start to finish.

This story is told from the POV of Jodi who is in, but not really in, a group pf popular kids called The Thrashers. Unfortunately a death at the school, places a spotlight on the group and examines what kind of people they are. I really loved reading from Jodi's POV, from her thoughts around being casted out and trying to remain in the group to her own personal struggles. This book does touch on some triggering/senstive topics like sucide and domestic violence so please look up content warnings.

I absolutely recommend this book to readers that enjoy a book that highlights flawed characters, examines friendships and is just a really good YA thriller.

This book isn't something I would normally pick up, but when you're loving everything else Julie Soto writes, you try it. And When I tell you this did not disappoint- DANG. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the start. I loved Jodi as a narrator and felt her perspective was especially interesting. This book was creepy in the right ways. I've already recommended this book to multiple people!

TW: suicide

Imagine I Know What You Did Last Summer with a spiritual twist. Now, make it more harrowing. Julie Soto adds the grief and anxiety-inducing subplots for free.

That’s the Powerpuff recipe for The Thrashers.

We follow a group of five friends at an elite high school. You've heard it all before: they're cool, they're hot, they're rich — they’re who everyone wants to be. But all of that begins to unravel the day Emily Mills sets her sights on them.

Our narrator, Jodi Dillon, is technically an “underdog,” but one occupying one of the most coveted roles a high-schooler can dream of: she’s part of the popular crowd. The thematic tension of being in the group but not of it was an immediate hook for me. As everyone looked at her, she looked at her friends, constantly wondering where she fit in — discardable, not rich, not model-skinny. She questioned her own appeal and why they kept her around.

With a delicious will-they-won’t-they side plot and a narrator who left me scratching my head, wondering if she was spiraling or simply perceptive, The Thrashers gave me more than I bargained for. I went in expecting a fun, lighthearted high school drama. What I got instead was a dark and poignant coming-of-age story. Still fun but definitely not light.

While I liked many things about this book, I’ll focus on the pacing, the plot, and the characters — so you can decide if it’s your kind of read.

This was my first true page-turner of the year. I read it in two days. The pacing was electric, and the characters vivid. There were twists and turns galore, and just when you thought these teenagers had hit rock bottom, Julie Soto handed them another misfortune (I'll let you decide whether they deserved it). You keep flipping pages, half out of curiosity, half out of sheer worry for their emotional and physical well-being.

The plot explores themes of identity in a way that feels surprisingly real. I usually cringe at portrayals of teen girls that try too hard to fit the author’s idea of what teenage girls are like — perfectly imperfect, quirky but lovable. Not here. Jodi is a compelling character: mercurial in the way only teenagers can be. She captures the doom of not being invited to a party, the existential devastation of social rejection. Her doubts — about herself, about others — aren’t written to teach us to “love ourselves.” They’re raw, discomforting, and honest.

There’s real character growth, too. We don’t just get to know Jodi — we get brief, intimate glimpses into her friends’ inner lives. These moments are essential in reframing how we judge their actions and pain.

The ending? Judged and found wanting (by me)! Maybe it was rushed, or maybe I rushed through it — same difference. I wish I’d had more time to savor it, to understand where each character ended up. While all the questions were answered, it felt a bit like a cop-out — or maybe a setup for another book? We don’t fully grasp how everything unraveled and came together again. The tone shifts too quickly from "fighting for my life" to "we’re off to college and everything’s fine." That said, I hope the final pages don’t turn you off. If anything, they invite reflection on how things could have ended.

Overall, this book is about many things: high school, friendship, loss, uncertainty, love, and fear. But what stayed with me most was its exploration of identity — and how it shifts and reforms under pressure. This is a story about people who lusted, loved, broke down, and grew. It’s about what it means to want something so badly that you lose yourself.

And at the center of it all is Emily Mills, the newest addition to the New Helvetia High ecosystem. You could’ve seen her and forgotten her — but she wouldn’t let you. After her suicide on Prom night, the five friends find themselves in the eye of the storm. Accused of bullying, stripped of their status, they tumble through senior year, college admissions, a public fall from grace, a trial, and a suspicious number of freak accidents. Is Emily haunting them? Is it guilt? Karma? Something else? I hope you have fun figuring it out.

Thank you NetGalley, Julie Soto, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Thrashers!

The Thrashers. An elite friends group made up of five members who everyone wants to be apart of. Their leader Zack Thrasher lures you in and once he's tired of you- you get Thrashed. When Emily Mills is found dead by suicide, her family and other students believe she was "thrashed" which led to her suicide. A dairy is found detailing her time with the Thrashers, but things aren't adding up for Jodi Dillion who seemed to be the only nice person in the friend group to Emily. Jodi must unravel the secrets of her friends and what lead up to Emily's death and determining who to trust in her friend group becomes that much harder.

I LOVED this book! I was quickly pulled back into high school and trying to uncover the events leading up to Emily's death right alongside Jodi. You could really feel Jodi's conflicting feelings about her friends and how it feels to sometimes been an outsider in your friend group. I also liked the paranormal aspect of the book and made it unique! This book left me feeling like I wasn't exactly sure who was the "good/bad" characters in the story. The epilogue was crazy!!!!

ARC Review

The Thrashers
By Julie Soto
Publish date: May 6, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for sending me a copy to review ❤️ I might have screamed when I saw my email for this one!

Make sure to read the triggers as the book does talk about suicide.

This was the perfect YA thriller, full of twists and turns and an ending I was not expecting at all. It was so fast paced I couldn’t put it down.

Jodie was the perfect FMC while also feeling like an unreliable narrator at times which I loved. I never knew what to be true or a lie and left me guessing. Her vulnerability throughout and everything she was going through broke my heart.

Julie continues to amaze me with her captivating writing and in depth character development. She makes you feel for all the characters whether hate, love, pitty or fear.

With that epilogue ending there better be a second book coming!!! Can’t just throw that little information at us and leave us in suspense picking our jaws up from the ground.

My Thoughts: This book was addictive. I could have devoured this book in one sitting if real life didn't get in the way. I quickly became invested in figuring out the truth behind the lies and secrets. But it was the paranormal touch that often gave me chills and had me occasionally glancing over my shoulder too. Jodi and her friends took different approaches to find themselves outside their identity in the "Thrashers" group, and it was interesting to see how that affected them as friends. Such a fun and thrilling read, and I am so excited to know there's a second one. Whether you loved high school or hated it, you're not going to want to put this one down!


What you will find:
📔Drama, Drama, Drama
📔YA Thriller
📔Paranormal Activity
📔One of Us is Lying Vibes

Man, that prologue really hooks you in…and the epilogue? Wow!

The Thrashers was a really good and really quick read with great pacing.
It made me glad to be well out of High School and the age where being dropped by friends literally felt like you were dying. Also I am grateful to never had to deal with school and have everything caught on cellphones and posted online. It seems so much easier to hurt people now.

Soto really nails that anxious feeling of trying to fit in and worrying about being left out, as well as putting your friends first (even before yourself) just to continue fitting in. The characters are pretty well fleshed out, and although somewhat stereotypical at times, it’s the cliques that high school kids generally are in.

I honestly don’t want to give too much away because I think it’s best to go in not knowing too much and to just enjoy the wild ride that Soto masterfully takes you on.

There were a few minor issues (like a scar being 4 inches long at the start of a chapter and by the end it’s 6 inches long), but there weren’t massive plot holes or anything. That being said, this is still a 5 star read for me.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, however this review is completely my own unbiased personal opinion, left of my own volition.

This YA book was a nice change of pace for me. It’s a contemporary thriller with mystery and a little romance. It delves into the complexities of high school, friendship and social hierarchy.

The story starts with a student (Emily) that tragically committed suicide on prom night. Then we are introduced to the high school royalty, a group of 5 kids called The Thrashers. Up until her death, Emily is desperate to be part of the Thrashers. Upon her demise, the police find a journal which can implicate the Thrashers as bullies which led to her alleged suicide. The FMC, Jodi, is one of the Thrashers who also feels she may only be in this group because of her childhood friendship with Zack Thrasher, as the other kids come from affluent backgrounds. Jodi struggles with her own family life and sees how her friends can be cruel. She grapples with the dilemma of protecting her friends or uncovering the truth.

The Thrashers was thrilling with all its twists and turns. It is a compelling read that combines suspense, emotion and mystery.

The Trashers is a YA thriller set around a group of friends called, unsurprisingly, The Thrashers and the suicide of a girl close to the group. This book gave me that early Pretty Little Liars vibe and I love that.

There's a big cast of characters, but we're following Jodi, who is often considered the odd one out of the group, navigating life after Emily's suicide. I thought she was a compelling character and I was rooting for her the entire time. Some of the other characters weren't fleshed out as much, so I would have liked to see more development there.

The pacing does slow down towards the middle, but it really kicks into high gear towards the end of the book. There is a LOT that happens and I could not put this down. Plus that epilogue??? I need more.

Overall, really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.

I’ll be honest, the way this started out I didn’t know if I was going to finish or even fully enjoy this book. I was really looking forward to this one because I was really excited for Julie’s first YA release. At first it kind of reminded me of other YA thrillers— and I did question is this just another same old story… however I ended up getting really sucked into the story. I started and finished this book in one day. I will say that it is pretty slow so if you’re expecting a fast paced narrative this moves much more like one of those limited Netflix crime dramas. All I will say right now is make sure to read that damn epilogue!!!

This story does deal with some tough topics so check out trigger warnings!

Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced review copy!

Jodi knew two things for certain:
1. Her friends weren’t welcoming to newcomers trying to join their circle.
2. A girl was dead.

Jodi was the kindest of her friend group, but she never quite fit in. Unlike the others, she didn’t come from wealth, but her best friend, Zack Thrasher, had gathered them all together like Pokémon, and before long, they were known as The Thrashers. The most popular group at school.

When a new girl arrived, she latched onto Jodi, seeing her as a way into the group. Her goal was clear: to become one of The Thrashers. But her plan took a sinister turn, and soon, Jodi’s friends found themselves on trial for the girl’s murder.

I don’t usually enjoy ghost stories, but I did like this book ALOT. At first, this book gave me 13 Reasons Why vibes, but after finishing it, but I take that back. While the plot followed a similar trajectory, Julie Soto added an unexpected twist that made it a compelling read. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but perhaps that’s because I’m hoping for a sequel. It felt a little too open ended for my liking.

Sleep? Who needs her?! I’m usually not one to pick up a mystery/thriller book, but I’ve loved everything Julie Soto has written and I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong! ‘The Thrashers’ had me in a chokehold from the first chapter and the fact that I binged this in about 2 days is very telling that I had the hardest time putting it down. The main characters had some good arcs and development overall. I completely ate up the ‘animosity’ between Julian and Jodi - nearly all of the highlights on my kindle are to do with them. A creepy and twisty roller coaster that will have you reeling and second-guessing everything you’ve read. I got literal GOOSEBUMPS for so many scenes.

Thank you so much for advanced access to a reader’s copy of this book!

the way julie soto can write just about anything at this point and she never misses. the thrashers is a YA thriller that is quite through provoking and puts the high stakes drama in a unique perspective.

also as someone who is born and raised in sacramento, this was so fun to experience. outside of the thought provoking plot, it was special to see the city i grew up being represented in a book by a local author.

4.5 🌟 and (as I expected) Julie Soto crushed her YA Thriller debut 👏

Such a bingeable and eerie read while also capturing the insecure experience that is high school so well! Following from Jodi’s perspective was so raw and real with complex emotions around self, family and her friend group: The Thrashers. It was so well written with multiple scenes where I was on the edge of my seat! And that epilogue?! SO good! No notes from me and I highly recommend everyone pick up a copy when it releases!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review 🫶🏼

4.5 rounded up! This was SO GOOD and incredibly addicting. I had full body chills throughout the whole book because it’s equal parts mystery and supernatural haunting vibes. Plus that epilogue made the whole book that much better for me!!

This story kind of reminded me on 13 Reasons Why, which was a big phenomenon when I was in college and of course the show was really big too. The Thrashers has lots of similar themes from bullying to TW suicide to high school friend drama. I have a feeling this is going to be a really big book!

Read if you like:
😱 YA thriller
👀 lots of drama
👻 haunting and seances
🌶️ no spice (mentions of sex & one makeout scene)

I don't typically read thrillers, but when I saw that Julie Soto wrote one, I jumped at the chance to read this story. The Thrashers kept me captivated the entire time and I never once thought I had it all figured out. I felt like I was on a roller coaster with the amount of twists and turns that were coming at me. Julie created such memorable characters and it was almost like we were right there with them, along for the ride. Definitely give this one a chance. You won't regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This book was phenomenal! I absolutely loved it! Told from the perspective of Jodi Dillon, childhood best friend to the eponymous Zack Thrasher, is a member of the popular group at Helvetia High. Zack, Julian, Paige, Lucy, and Jodi are the popular clique dubbed "the Thrashers" who have a reputation as the scenemakers but also for getting kids "thrashed" when the group no longer has use for them. One such student was Emily Mills, who committed suicide over her treatment by the group. When the police start digging into Emily's murder, all of the Thrashers are brought in for questioning. As Jodi tries to puzzle out who did what and what actually happened, strange occurrences begin to happen, streetlight anomalies, strange dreams, sleep paralysis, and near death events. I was deeply engrossed in the story and stayed up reading long past my bedtime - this is one you won't want to miss!

This book is brilliant and also a bit haunting! I couldn't take a break and needed to know all the secrets and confessions. The last few chapters made me feel physically ill as it all unraveled. I'm questioning myself because I was rooting for each character in different ways and equally hating them all. Julie Soto captured what it's like to be a teenager dealing with all the toxic environments, including friendships and home life.
I hated Hannah's secrets at the end so much and have no idea how someone would heal from all of that.

Did the epilogue mean there is a book 2 or???

Words are beyond me. I don't like thrillers because I hate anticipation but this had me reading for hours until I had a headache and had to force myself to go to sleep. I had such high expectations going into this book and it didn't disappoint one bit. Honestly, the story is nothing new. But it felt like nothing I've read before. Julie Soto is such a great writer and I'm so thankful that I got to read this early thanks to NetGalley.

Jodi's character was much more interesting than I initially thought. She victimized herself a lot more than she realized. When that became clear to me, I was shocked by her double-sided-ness. She was definitely a Thrasher. There is no way the rest of them "let" her hang around with them for this long if she wasn't. I'm sad for her that she didn't realize how they were truly her friends until the end when she lost all of them. I adored Lucy and Paige caring for Jodi.

Julian was my favorite character as he was consistent throughout the story and owned up to his mistakes. I like rude, blunt, evasive but secretly genuine personalities. He reminds me of Callum Nova in The Atlas Six. As soon as I saw the hints that he was going to be the MMC, I was all for it. Every time he showed up for Jodi, I was so happy.

I can't believe Zack and Paige got away with their actions though. Paige's confession at the end was so disappointing because I liked her. I was rooting for all of them actually. I kept hoping none of them were actually as bad as others made them out to be.

The epilogue killed me. I can't have it end like this... I need a Julian sequel. Please.

P. S. came back three days later to say that I'm still thinking about this book. This is definitely going to be one of my favorite books this year.

My Thoughts: This book was addictive. I could have devoured this book in one sitting if real life didn't get in the way. I quickly became invested in figuring out the truth behind the lies and secrets. But it was the paranormal touch that often gave me chills and had me occasionally glancing over my shoulder too. Jodi and her friends took different approaches to find themselves outside their identity in the "Thrashers" group, and it was interesting to see how that affected them as friends. Such a fun and thrilling read, and I am so excited to know there's a second one. Whether you loved high school or hated it, you're not going to want to put this one down!


What you will find:
📔Drama, Drama, Drama
📔YA Thriller
📔Paranormal Activity
📔One of Us is Lying Vibes